Rise and Spread of Islam 622-1500: Science, Technology, Health Research Article from World Eras

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Glass-blowing techniques were discovered in Syria in the first century B.C.E., and Syria dominated the art of glassmaking well into the Islamic period, when ownership of glass objects became a status symbol. Because Syrian glass commanded such high prices from wealthy Europeans, Muslim craftsmen were protective of the technical secrets involved in its production. Thus, they were surprised when the glass industry of Venice, Italy, suddenly arose in the thirteenth century, offering stiff competition to Syrian craftsmen and eventually supplanting them as the finest glassmakers in the world. The explanation for this transmission of glass technology from East to West involves several factors. In the eleventh century Egyptian craftsmen established two glass factories at Corinth, Greece. When Norman warriors invaded from Europe, they destroyed the factories and took the workers away as prisoners of war. Two centuries later, when the Mongols...